Dow Cave Meet Saturday 17/12/2022

Club Meet was cancelled due to snow forecast but intrepid brothers Chris and Geoff Dudman got up the road from Kettlewell in a 4 wheel drive vehicle and took some photos underground.

The First Miner’s Chamber by Steve Woods

Dow Cave: Mick Ellerton & Steve Woods (14th July & 8th August 2020).  Dow Cave is a fab place for a mooch but there’s so much more to it than that. Both of us slightly rusty we'd accordingly decided on Dow with no particular plan. The walk to the entrance is always something familiarly special. …

Albert Hall revisited by Ian Cummins

We had been talking to Steve Warren about gathering a few pictures together from some of the more obscure bits of Dow, so with an afternoon midweek trip in the offing, I suggested Albert Hall to Adele. I hadn't been to this far end of Dow for about 8 or 9 years, so a quick …

Dow Cave – First Times by Adele

Dow Cave: Adele Ward, James Ward.  I’ve been bugged by James, my 10 year old son, to take him caving for a year now. With a 9 year old’s ability to totally disregard most things I tell him to do, we came to an agreement. If James could demonstrate that he actually possessed the ability …

Dow Cave – First Times by Adele Ward

Dow Cave: Adele Ward, James Ward.  I’ve been bugged by James, my 10 year old son, to take him caving for a year now. With a 9 year old’s ability to totally disregard most things I tell him to do, we came to an agreement. If James could demonstrate that he actually possessed the ability …

Dow Cave by Elise Ward

A few down climbs behind us we come to the falls.  The water cascading down into pools, the noise drowns out any voice that isn’t shouting directly into your ear.  Simon scurries off into the falls.  I sit, I think and I decide.  Through the entire cave I have been asked at nearly every point without fail “are you okay with this” and my answer was always without a doubt yes, because I didn’t feel unsafe or like it was out of my capability.  Now seeing the herculean-like strength of these falls and knowing the struggle I had passing through the stream at the top I was starting to think maybe the cave has got the best of me, that maybe this was for another more experienced and equipped me.

Dow Cave by Chris Dudman

Dow Cave: Geoff & Chris Dudman (9th November 2013). Pics by Chris Dudman.

Dow Cave Meet 2011 by Ian Cummins

Dow Cave: Phil, Brian, Steve Warren, Geoff Dudman and Ian (20th February 2011).  I reckon most dales cavers have been down this cave many times, as have I, but after this trip I realised that there was so much I had missed on previous visits, with much more to explore in the future. A grey, …

Dow Cave by Peter Benn

Dow Cave: Andy Cole, Peter, Matt, Chris & Geoff Dudman (1st March 2009). The plan was to do 2 trips - that all went a bit tits up (sorry Frank!). Stuck halfway up Whernside with no car, no phone reception and a planned walk on the Saturday meant no trip to Illusion with poor Frank …

Dow Cave: Time We Had a New Picture by Steve Warren